The technical mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) began its work in Ukraine.
“The purpose of the mission is to discuss practical issues related to the continuation of the expanded financing program (EFF),” the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers said on Monday.
It is noted that on Monday, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman met with the mission’s head Ron van Rooden.
As reported, Finance Minister Oleksandr Danyliuk said that IMF experts in Kyiv would provide Ukrainian authorities with recommendations on the Anti-Corruption Court.
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA, Kyiv) has expanded its fleet with one more next generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft, becoming the 27th Boeing plane in the airline’s fleet. The Boeing 737-800 NG passenger capacity of 186 seats will be operated in a two-class cabin layout throughout the network of medium haul UIA flights and will start commercial flights as early as February this year.
The UR-PSZ aircraft made in 2009 was issued to UIA in operating leasing from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE).
“The new aircraft has been completely reconfigured in accordance with UIA standards. New armchairs in business and economy class sectors, as well as new kitchen modules have been installed. This year we plan further updating and expansion of the fleet, a gradual expansion of the network and an increase in the frequency of flights to already serviced routes. In the plans of UIA is exceeding the record level of 8 million passengers to be carried in 2018,” UIA corporate spokesperson Yevhenia Satska said.
UIA, the leading Ukrainian air carrier, was founded in 1992. It connects Ukraine with more than 80 capitals and key cities in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, the Middle East and CIS countries, and also provides connections with the routes of partner airlines to more than 3,000 cities of the world. UIA performs more than 1,100 regular flights a week.
The fleet consists of 42 airplanes of different modifications, including 27 medium range Boeing-737 NG aircraft. One of the ultimate beneficiaries of the company is businessman Ihor Kolomoisky.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on February 7, 2018 approved the revised financial plan of private joint-stock company Ukrhydroenergo for 2018 with net profit of UAH 2.54 billion, the company’s press service has reported.
“Changes in the financial plan of Ukrhydroenergo for 2018 were made in connection with the approval of the tariffs for electricity supply by the National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation, an increase in electricity production for 2018, in accordance with the approved updated forecasted balance of electricity of the Ukrainian power grid, as well as with the change in the investment program of Ukrhydroenergo,” the press service said.
The company said that the financial plan takes into account the decrease in the average tariff of Ukrhydroenergo for electricity supply by 11.4%, to 70.2 kopecks per kWh.
Ukrhydroenergo operates all large hydroelectric power stations located in the Ukrainian sections of the Dnipro and Dniester rivers. The total installed capacity of the company’s hydroelectric power plants is 5,745 MW. The state fully owns the company’s shares.
Medicine, education and infrastructure of the city will be a priority of the Kyiv city budget in 2018, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said.
“Among the priority areas for development, where large funds will be sent in Kyiv this year – medical and educational areas, renewal and construction of urban infrastructure,” the Kyiv mayor said on Facebook page on Friday evening.
In addition, Klitschko said that despite the need to repay the debts, the city’s budget is almost doubled.
“We received Kyiv with huge debts – almost UAH 27 billion! Over these years, we more than halved the debt, and we almost doubled the budget of the city. Three years ago it was UAH 27 billion, and the estimate for this year is almost UAH 50. Finally we have the financial resources to implement the changes. We need to finance medicine, education, restore neglected infrastructure,” he said.
In particular, the mayor recalled that the financing of these three priority areas increased significantly in the previous year. In the education sphere the city continues to finance construction and renovation of schools and kindergartens.
Austrian Federal President Alexander van der Bellen is to make an official visit to Ukraine in the middle of March. Business representatives will be among delegation participants, the Presidential Administration of Ukraine has reported.
“The key arrangement [during the visit of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to Austria] was an arrangement on the visit of the Austrian President to Ukraine in mid-March. This will be an official visit,” Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Kostiantyn Yeliseyev said on the Inter TV channel on Friday evening.
“It has been also arranged that in its policy Austria, as the future holder of the European Union presidency from July 1, will continue to help us gradually integrate into the European Union,” he said.
At the same time Yeliseyev said that during the visit of the Austrian President to Ukraine a large business forum will be held.
“After all, the Austrian president will come with a powerful business delegation, and of course, our two presidents will open this business forum,” he said.
In addition, the deputy head of the Presidential Administration did not rule out that this year the Federal Chancellor of Austria, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Sebastian Kurz could visit Ukraine.
Inflation in Ukraine in January 2018 was 1.5% compared to 1% in December of the previous year, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine has reported.
According to its data, in annual terms the growth of consumer prices also accelerated in January to 14.1% from 12.6% over the same period in the past year.
Underlying inflation in January 2018 compared with December 2017 amounted to 0.7%, from January last year to 9.8%.
Prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages in the consumer market in January 2018 compared with December 2017 increased by 2%. Prices for vegetables and fruits rose most of all (by 10.8% and 7.6%). Prices for eggs, milk, sour cream, bread, fish, butter, and meat rose by 3-1.1%. At the same time, prices for buckwheat fell by 2.7%, and sugar by 1%.
Prices for alcoholic drinks and tobacco products grew by 1.1%, in particular for tobacco products by 1.6%, alcoholic drinks by 0.5%.
The growth of prices (tariffs) for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels by 0.4% occurred mainly due to the increase in tariffs for the maintenance of houses and adjacent areas by 6%, prices for liquefied gas by 4.8% and housing rent rates by 0.9%.
The increase in transport fares in general by 3% was mainly due to the rise in prices for fuel and oils by 4.4%, cars by 3.4%, and transport services by 2.4%.
In the sphere of communications, prices increased by 2.8%, which is due to the rise in the price of postal services by 25% and local telephony by 8.3%.
